Building brick, block and the like



Sept. 25, 1923.

J. VER MEHR BUILDING BRIK, BLOCK, AND THE LIKE I Filed July 19. 1,922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept 25,192.

J. VER MEHR BUILDING BRICK, BLOCK, AND THE LIKE Filed July 19. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fatented Sept. 25, 1923. r

' E sr" Jonirvm MEHR, or ennon, ENGLAND.

, surname BRiGK', sLooK, AND THE LIKE. Y

A plication filed July 1e,

T 0 all to 710m it may cm'z cern r 7 Be it known that 1, JOH VER Manna citizen of the United States of America, residing at 27 St. James Square, Londomlilngland, have invented new and useful 7 Improvements Relating to Building Bricks, Blocks, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to bricks, blocks, slabs, and the like for use in the erection of buildings or for walls or partitions or for retaining walls in sub-aqueous'co'nstructions and generally for all purposes where the employment of blocks, bricks, or slabs may usefully beresorted to. j V

The object of the invention is 'to' provide an improved brick, block, slab, or the like which while capable'of being manufactured expeditiously and cheaply will when em ployed in constructional work result inthe productionof a structure possessing great strength combined with lightness. a

With this object iav'iewand such others as may hereinafter appear or are incidental thereto my invention in its broadest aspect may be said to be embodied in a brick or the like which is so formed that when a number are assembled a horizontal secti'on'th'rough: the structure will disclose a plurality of spaces-so disposed relatively to each other that there is formed a substantially latticegirde r like constructiom-while the webs or solid portions separating said spaces form internal beams or columns in the direction of the height of thestructure there-by oppos inggreat resistance to stresses bothin' the lateral and Vertical directions.

' Inone embodiment of my invention the brick or block is of substantially Z or 'S shape in plan, and when a number are assembled with the" recessed portions of one brick in juxtaposition with the recessed portions of adjacent bricks, a structure will b'e produced having the characteristics which I have hereinbefore referred to.

A building block or brick manufactured in accordance with the present invention adinits of. variation in the characterof the structure to be built. The blocks maybe of such dimensions and maybe so arranged that a structure may be produced inwhich 1e29,. Serial No. 576,080.

be understood and carried into effect 1" will now proceed to describe the same in detail for which purpose reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which 1+ Figure 1 is a plan view of a brick or block embodying myinvention.

F igure 2 is a similar view of a corner brick or block. r r a I Figure isa plan view of a stretcher or 1ntermed1ate'br1ck or block hereinafter more particularly referred to. a

Figure l is a plan of a portion of the first course of bricks as laid in the erection ofa structure such as the wall of a house.

, Figure 5 1s a similar view of the second course.

Figure 6 represents an elevation of a'wall constructed with bricks or blocks'under this invention. V

,Figure '4 1s a vertical section taken on the line (-7 in Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is a plan View of a portion of a wall or the like illustrating a slightly ditl'en ent disposition of-theblocks or bricks.

Referring now to Figure 1 it will be seen that my improved brick or block indicated v a as a whole. by the reference numeral 1 is substantially Z shaped thus presenting two lar efiect may be produced with blocks or bricks under this invent-ion I employ stretcher or intermediate blocks such as illustrated in Figure 3. These are substantially similar to the main blocks of Figure 1 8X73 cept that they are of lesser width so that when assembled alternately with the main blocks as illustrated i'nFigure 4t foriexample, a construction will result which resembles an open work girder since it can be said to consist of the two parallel members 5 and 6 joined by diagonaltruss members 7. It will be obvious that the end of a wall or the corner of'abuilding erected with bricks or blocks embodying thisinvention must be finislied withbriflcks or blocks of slightly different configuration to those constituting the wall, andI therefore employ for this purpose bricks or blocks of the form inde the corner pieces.

pendent-1y illustrated in Figure 2 and shown in position in the structure of Figures 4 and 5 where they are indicated by the reference numeral 8.

The bricks or blocks under this invention may be of any desired. dimensions, but for the erection of dwelling houses or similar Q ures a convenient size for the main or blocks represented in Figure 'l is nine inches by six inches wide by six inches thick, while the. stretcher or intermediate bloc-ks shown in Figure 3 and indi cated as whole by the reference numeral may be nine inches by four inches wide x inches thick.

Assuming Figure 4 to represent the first d and subsequent odd numbered courses of wall constructed with my improved bricks or blocks and Figure 5 the second fourth and subsequent even numbered courses, it will be seen that the diagonal members 7 of each course lie directly above the truss members of the course below so that there are a plurality of vertical columns with intervening triangular spaces 4 through the whole structure.

7 be understood that the hereinbe- It Will. fore mentioned dimensions of the blocks or bricks under this invention are exemplary only as the type size and nature of the in tended structure will determine the size of the blocks employed in its erection. In the case of dwelling houses or similar buildings where it is necessary that provision should be made for the placing of windows, doors and the like and where the work must ,e carried out to more or less exact measurements, I prefer to employ three stand ard width bricks or blocks in addition to Convenient widths are six inches five inches and four inches. By finishing each course where it ends at an aperture in the wall for a window or door with a four or a five inch block alignment of the courses will be effected. This will be seen in Figure 6 where d represents a four inch'block and Z) a five inch block.

It may well be that in certain types of structure particularly such as designed to resist lateral stresses it would be advantageous to so arrange the blocks that the diagonal truss members 7 of anyone course cross the triangular spaces 4: in the course below and above instead of being in alignment as previously described. Such an ar rangement is illustrated in Figure 8 in which all the blocks are shown of the same size so that except for the ends of-each course which are finished with an appropriately sized block it is unnecessary to employ blocks of varying width.

Building blocks or bricks under this inention may be made from any suitable material or mixture of materials and may be formed with apertures 10 for the purpose of securing circulation of air or the ingross; or egress of fluids throughout the structure. These apertures 10 may be provided where desired. For example they may be located ator near the bot-tom of the structure as indicated in Fig. 6 the air entering through one of said apertures and passing upwards through the triangular space formed by the blocks then through ports such as 11, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4:, into the adjacent triangular space and downwards therein and thereafter in similar manner upwards and downwards through the various triangular spaces until it finally emerges through the other aperture 10. If desired the blocks may be provided with apertures such as 12, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5 for the reception of reinforcing bars, rods or Wires.

Apart from the economyin cost and in labor for erection and the advantages accruing from strength and lightness a feature of considerable importance is that a wall-ot a dwelling house for example -constructed of blocks or bricks underthis invention will effectively resist the passage of moisture as owin to the lattice-like formation of the wall it rollows that the spaces are staggered relatively to each other, and therefore damp or moisture can find no direct path from one surface of the wall to the. other but will encounter the aforesaid spaces and so be dissipated.

What I claim is:

1. A structure composed of blocks of subst-antially Z or Sshape in plan, arranged in courses one above the other the blocks in a course being assembled or arranged alternately in Z and S formation each alternate block being of less width than the adj acent blocks and constituting a header block.

2. A structure composed of blocks of substantially Z or S shape in plan, arranged in courses one above the other the blocks in a course being assembled or arranged alternately in Z and 8 formation each alternate block being of less width than the 7 cesses, the said main blocks and stretcher blocks being assembled alternately with the recesses of a main block in juxtaposition laterally with the recesses of the adjacent stretcher blocks, end blocks for the series having only one recess which is in juxtaposition laterally with the recess of its adjacent block and a flatouter surface to the said end blocks, so constructed and arranged as to constitute a plurality of substantially triangular spaces so disposed relatively to each other that there is formed a substantially lattice girder-like construction in the horizontal section' 4. A structure comprising a series of. blocks of substantially Z shape, a series of stretcher blocks of less width than the main blocks, each of said blocks having two parallel members joined by a diagonal truss member and presenting two recesses the said main blocks and stretcher blocks being arranged in courses one above the other and assembled alternately with the recesses of a main block in juxtaposition laterally with the recesses of the adjacent stretcher blocks, end blocks for the series having only one recess which is in juxtaposition laterally with the recess 01" its adjacent block and a flat outer surface to the said end blocks so constructed and arranged as to constitute a plurality of substantially triangular spaces so disposed relatively. to each other that there is formed a substantially latticegirder like construction in the horizontal section, the second, fourth and subsequent even numbered courses having its stretcher blocks directly above the main blocks of the odd numbered course below, whllethe diagonal truss members 1n each course lie directly above the truss'members blocks in the series having two'parallel members joined by a diagonal truss memher forming two recesses, the said blocks being arranged in courses one above the other the joints between the blocks of one course being staggered relatively to the joints between the blocks of adjacent courses the said blocks being assembled with the re- 7 cesses of ad acent blocks in juxtaposition laterally, end bloc-ks for the courses having' only one recess which is in juxtaposition" laterally with the recess of its adj acent" block and a fiat outer surface to the said end blocks: so constructed and arranged as to constitute a plurality of substantially triangular spaces relatively to each other that there is formed a substantially iattice girderdike construction in the horizontal section while the diagonal truss members of any one course cross the triangular spaces in the course belowand above. 1

JOHN m MEHR. 

